Eligible Homeowners May Qualify for Grants of up to $10,000 with the My Safe Florida Home Program

The My Safe Florida Home Program (My Safe FL Home), re-established during the 2022 Special Session of the Florida Legislature, offers financial assistance to eligible Florida homeowners to help retrofit and strengthen homes against storm damage.

The program has two (2) main components, both administered by the Florida Department of Financial Services (DFS):

1. Is to provide eligible Florida homeowners with a free, no-obligation Hurricane Mitigation Inspection, which will assess the current hurricane-resistant features of their home and recommend improvements to further strengthen their home against hurricanes.
2. Is to offer eligible Florida homeowners a Hurricane Mitigation Grant to help cover the cost of recommended home improvements identified during the program’s initial inspection, enhancing the home’s hurricane resistance and potentially qualifying the homeowner for discounts on home insurance premiums.

There are two (2) types of Hurricane Mitigation Grants:

Matching Grants

The MSFH Program Matching Grant works on a reimbursement basis. Your Grant Application must be approved prior to proceeding with construction work. Payment requests are made at the end of the application process through a Draw Request. You must provide a paid-in-full invoice with your Draw Request. If your Draw Request is approved, you will be reimbursed for 2/3 of the total costs of the construction project up to a maximum state contribution of up to $10,000, subject to legislative appropriation.

Low-Income Grants

Low-Income Homeowners who meet all other Hurricane Mitigation Grant Requirements are eligible for a Low-Income Grant of up to $10,000, subject to legislative appropriation, and are not required to provide a matching amount to receive grant funds. Low-Income Homeowners do not need to provide a paid-in-full invoice.

Florida Homeowners who meet the following requirements may qualify for a free Inspection:

1. The home must be a single-family, detached residential property or a townhouse as defined in section 481.203, Florida Statutes (F.S.);
2. The home must be site-built and owner-occupied; and
3. The Homeowner must have been granted a homestead exemption on the home under chapter 196, F.S.

PLEASE NOTE: Single-family homes that are attached to other units will be treated as Townhouses for the purposes of the MSFH Program.

• Properties that are NOT eligible for a free Inspection include:
• Multi-Family Homes (such as apartments, duplexes, and triplexes)
• Condominiums
• Cooperatives
• Retirement Homes
• Mobile Homes & Manufactured Homes
• Second Homes, Vacation Homes,& Rental Properties

PLEASE NOTE: Not all applicants who received an Inspection through the Program will be eligible for a Hurricane Mitigation Grant.

A homeowner is eligible for a Grant if all of the following criteria are met: 

1. The home must be eligible for a Hurricane Mitigation Inspection and must have received an Initial Inspection through the Program.
2. The home must be a dwelling with an insured value of $700,000 or less. 
3. The building permit application for initial construction of the home must have been made before January 1, 2008.
4. The Homeowner must provide the name and license number of the Contractor selected to perform the Mitigation Project.
5. The Homeowner must agree to make the home available for a Final Inspection once the Project is complete; and
6. The Homeowner must agree to provide to the Program any and all information received from the Homeowner’s insurer identifying the discounts realized by the Homeowner because of the Improvements funded through the Program.

There are four (4) improvements that are eligible for grant funding under the My Safe FL Home Program when recommended in an Initial Inspection Report:

Improvement 1.0 – Opening Protection – This upgrade ensures your home has impact-resistant windows, doors, garage doors, and skylights to protect against flying debris.

Improvement 2.0 – Roof-to-Wall Attachment – This upgrade strengthens the connection between your roof and walls by adding clips or wraps, providing additional roof stability during a hurricane.

Improvement 3.0 – Roof Deck Attachment – This upgrade involves securing your roof deck through nailing. This reinforces your roof’s ability to withstand strong winds.

Improvement 4.0 – Secondary Water Resistance (SWR) – This involves applying a self-adhering underlayment directly to the sheathing, seam tape, or using a foam adhesive barrier to protect the home from water intrusion if the roof covering is unfortunately lost.

Only improvements recommended by an inspector in the Initial Inspection Report and observed by an inspector in the Final Inspection Report are eligible for funding under the program. No other construction work will be considered for funding.

The initial inspection results are uploaded into the Applicant Portal by the inspection company. Homeowners will then receive an email instructing them to review the initial inspection report in the Applicant Portal.

When recommended by a hurricane mitigation inspection, grants can be utilized for the following improvements:

ROOFS AND STRUCTURES

• Upgrading Roof Coverings
• Enhancing the Strength of Roof Deck Attachments
• Reinforcing Roof-to-Wall Connections
• Installing a Secondary Water Barrier for the Roof

* Please note that townhouses are not eligible for roof repairs.

OPENINGS

• Upgrading Exterior Doors
• Improving Garage Doors
• Upgrading Windows

Yes. ON JULY 1, 2024, the My Safe Florida Home Program allowed homeowners to choose any licensed Florida contractor to make eligible upgrades to their homes for reimbursement through the Program. The license of your designated contractor(s) MUST be certified or registered with the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation (DBPR) as one of the following types:

General Contractor
Building Contractor
Residential Contractor
Specialty Contractor
Roofing Contractor
Only work with licensed Florida contractors. You can check a contractor’s licensure status at MyFloridaLicense.com.

PLEASE NOTE: The My Safe Florida Home Program no longer maintains a list of authorized contractors or requires their use for new MSFH program construction. The My Safe Florida Home Program and the Florida Department of Financial Services (DFS) are not involved in or responsible for the contractor selection process or any aspects of the construction and payment process. The program assumes no responsibility for the performance of the homeowner’s selected contractor. It is the sole responsibility of the MSFH Grantee/homeowner to find and manage an eligible contractor and oversee the contractor relationship.

No. Once you have applied and been approved for your free wind-mitigation inspection, a licensed inspector, contracted by the program will be assigned to you to complete all inspections of your home.

The Florida Legislature has authorized the Department of Financial Services (DFS) to offer two types of hurricane mitigation grants: 1) Matching Grants and 2) Low-Income Grants.

Matching Grants
The My Safe FL Home Program provides $2 in grant funds for every $1 contributed by the homeowner. This means that the homeowner will be reimbursed for 2/3 of the total costs of the mitigation project up to a maximum state contribution of up to $10,000, subject to legislative appropriation.

Examples of funding calculations:
An eligible homeowner paid $15,000 for recommended impact-rated windows. The homeowner would be reimbursed $10,000, and the remaining $5,000 is the homeowner’s required match.
An eligible homeowner paid $9,000 for recommended impact-rated windows. The homeowner would be reimbursed $6,000, and the remaining $3,000 is the homeowner’s required match.
An eligible homeowner paid $20,000 for recommended impact-rated windows. The homeowner would be reimbursed the maximum grant allowance of $10,000, and the remaining $10,000 is the homeowner’s responsibility.
Low-Income Grants
Eligible Low-Income homeowners can apply for grant funds up to $10,000, subject to legislative appropriation. Low-Income homeowners are not required to provide a matching amount.